


But Not As Much As I Do

by Binary_Sunset



Series: Shipping Off to Boston [2]
Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BU Professor Oliver, Berklee Student Elio, Elio is 18, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Insecure Oliver, M/M, Oral Sex, Relationship Discussions, get Oliver a therapist 2k18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-03-27 14:22:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13882719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Binary_Sunset/pseuds/Binary_Sunset
Summary: Oliver and Elio have their first actual date after sleeping together.





	But Not As Much As I Do

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Due to overwhelming demand and a surprising burst of motivation I've managed to write another fic in this series!
> 
> I was planning on this being a lot more plot-heavy and angsty, but these two have a way of constantly making me write smut and fluff, I swear to god...
> 
> Also I would just like to apologise for just how _long_ this took. I had a major depressive episode in the middle of March and midterms week just about killed me. I hope it's worth the wait? It ended up being quite a bit longer than I was expecting, and I made a neat little graphic for this series, so hopefully that'll be the cherry on top.
> 
> Title from [The Last of the Real Ones](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YAAyUFL1GQ) by Fall Out Boy.

Despite the heat and intensity of their first meeting, things had started to calm down with Oliver. They hadn’t seen each other since they’d slept together, but they’d been texting on and off over the last few weeks. It was hard to find time for everything, especially now that it was around finals season. They’d both be busy preparing for their respective tests, and Oliver would have the displeasure of grading it all before the final due date.

Elio was deep in the throws of studying for his composition final when a buzz took him out of his thoughts. He’d been reading over his notes for so long that even his own handwriting was starting to blur together on the page. There wouldn’t be any harm in checking his phone.

_Oliver: Forgot to ask: Are you staying in Boston over winter break?_

_Oliver: Wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to go back to Italy. I know I would_

Elio groaned and pressed his phone to his forehead. It wasn’t Oliver’s fault, but he could just _feel_ his cortisol spike with mentions of going home. International travel was a _mess_ to set up, and he’d ended up just choosing to stay at Berklee and not deal with all that shit.

But it still felt like a failure, a sore spot on his first semester as a “real” adult.

_Elio Perlman: tried to set smth up but everything kind of went to shit. Staying here was just the easier choice tbh_

He erased the message before sending it. No need to dump all his issues on a man he’d just met.

_Elio Perlman: staying in boston. Might as well get to know the city a bit better if i’ll be living here for the next few years yanno?_

Elio shut his notebook and wrapped the throw blanket around his shoulders. His dorm was drafty and there was only so much he could do to fend off the winter air. And there was just something nice about having something to shield himself from the rest of the world.

_Oliver: Well, you’re always welcome in my house. I’ll be visiting my parents in Concord for the last night of Hannukah, but other than that I’ll be all yours_

God, Oliver was giving him an open invitation? They’d seen each other naked and this somehow felt like the most intimate possible thing.

_Elio Perlman: thanks! Hopefully we can do smth fun?_

_Oliver: Actually I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight? I know it’s last-minute, but I’ve been meaning to ask you about it for a while_

_Oliver: Please forgive this old man, he has memory issues._

_Elio Perlman: oliver ur 26 i’m not sticking u in the nursing home yet_

_Elio Perlman: but yeah that sounds nice. Takin me on a classy date sugar daddy?_

_Oliver: Please never call me daddy ever again. It’s too weird_

_Oliver: Also I’m still paying off my student loans so it won’t exactly be the Ritz, more like take out and a movie?_

_Elio Perlman: works for me. I haven’t eaten anything other than dining hall food since thanksgiving break so i’ll eat literally anything_

_Elio Perlman: and before u make a joke yes that does include ur ass_

There was a pause before Oliver replied.

_Oliver: ELIO YOU JUST MADE ME SPIT OUT MY COFFEE_

And then another pause.

_Oliver: I WASN’T EVEN GOING TO SAY ANYTHING HOLY SHIT_

_Elio Perlman: i aim to please_

_Oliver: ANYWAY_

_Oliver: Not sure about your schedule, but my last lecture ends at six. We can meet in front of the building and I’ll drive you?_

_Elio Perlman: sounds good! Send me the address?_

_Oliver: Of course._

The next text was an address that Elio wasn’t quite familiar with, but he knew where Boston University was, so as long as his phone’s GPS worked alright, it shouldn’t be too hard to locate him.

 

•••

 

Elio approached the building dictated on the map, wearing the jersey he’d stolen from Oliver. The man himself was nowhere to be seen, so Elio just leaned against the side of the building, checking his phone.

It was only a few seconds later that Elio felt an arm fall around his shoulders. “Hey there, pretty boy.”

Elio pocketed his phone and leaned into Oliver’s chest. “Hey, long time, no see. How are things at work?”

“Stressful. You kids are a real handful, you know that?”

He laughed. “Maybe _your_ kids are, but _I’m_ a model student, I can assure you.”

Oliver chuckled at that. “I’m sure you are.” He paused, raising a hand to touch Elio’s face, caressing his cheek. It should have felt more intimate than the arm around his shoulder, but somehow it felt like Oliver wanted to put space between them. “I, uh, I have something I’d like to talk to you about. I wanted to wait until we saw each other in person again to bring it up.”

Elio’s jaw set. He didn’t have to be a mind reader to know this was serious. “What’s up?”

He took a breath, as if trying to gather his thoughts. “I just got divorced.”

It should’ve explained so much, but it just made Elio nervous. His first thought was that maybe he’d been to blame for it, like Oliver’s partner had found out about the night they spent together. But that didn’t seem likely. Oliver had clearly lived alone, and he wasn’t wearing a ring. Barring that, he just didn’t seem the type to sneak around behind his partner’s back.

Elio just breathed out a little “oh”, unsure quite how to react to that.

“It wasn’t bad, and we’re still friends it was just… we aren’t married anymore…” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’m just bringing it up because I like you, but I think… I don’t know if I’m ready for another relationship.”

Elio blinked. “Oh. Okay.” He started to mentally map his way back to the T stop. “Do you, uh, not want me to come over tonight?”

“No, no, please come over. I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t want that. We just need to take things kind of slow. I, uh, I’m not sure I want to be exclusive yet either. There’s my baggage and also, you know, you’re pretty young. I don’t want you to feel tied down at all.”

“I guess that makes sense.” He didn’t really feel “tied down” at all, like Oliver had said, but he supposed it would be nice to go to parties and meet people without the pressure of being in a monogamous relationship. And he was honestly glad they were having this conversation. The last thing Elio would want would be to cheat on Oliver, even if it was due to a miscommunication. “I’m fine with keeping things casual. But, I mean, don’t worry about your emotional baggage. "There’s a connection here, whatever it is. I’d be happy to help out where I can.”

There was a tension in Oliver, his shoulders a little too tight, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. But it seemed to lift a little once Elio spoke. “I… I thought I was, you know, the only person who thought that. Like we only just met and I kind of feel like…” He placed his hands on either side of his face, looking at him the way he had that night in his apartment. Like Elio was the single most important thing to him in that moment.

“...like there’s something more going on between us than just a hookup? Like things are going really fast and it’s kind of scary but also kind of exciting?” Elio supplied. He’d had hookups before, of course, he’d even slept with his best friend back in Italy. But there was nothing quite like this. It was kind of dizzying.

“Exactly. And it makes me nervous.”

“It’s okay. We can go at our own pace. You invited me over for Chinese food and Netflix, that’s all I was expecting. If… you know, other things happen, I wouldn’t be upset, but don’t feel pressured to do it.” He reached over and squeezed Oliver’s hand. “I still want to spend time with you, though.”

Oliver squeezed back. “Thank you for being understanding. It’s been… weird. And it’s just not… the sort of thing you can bring up the morning after or over text. I wish I’d told you sooner, but I also wanted to let you know in person.”

Elio smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I get it. I’m happy you told me about it, though. It’s hard to guess what goes on in your head.”

Oliver looked over to the side, still keeping a grip on Elio’s hand. “We can probably head out now, if you want. That’s everything I wanted to tell you.”

“Let’s go, then.”

There was a parking lot around the back of the building, just large enough for a few professors to use. Oliver pulled out his keys, and clicked a button, a small blue sedan responding with blinking headlights and a high-pitched chirp.

It didn’t look absolutely brand new and it wasn’t particularly fancy, but it was clean and well-kept, and Elio couldn’t ask for more than that. He hopped into the passenger seat and leaned over to give Oliver a kiss once he sat down.

Oliver returned it gladly, keeping things chaste but still cradling Elio’s face in his hands. It was like as soon as they were alone together, they could hardly keep their hands to themselves.

It didn’t last long enough to satisfy Elio, but Oliver had to drive, so he couldn’t be too upset. And Oliver had placed a kiss on the tip of his nose before he’d pulled away to start the car.

“Hey Elio, you ever driven in Boston before?” he asked, putting the car into reverse.

“No, I don’t have an American license. Why?”

“Because we’re about to go down Storrow Drive in the middle of rush hour. You can have the AUX cord, just throw on whatever. We’re gonna hit some pretty heavy traffic.”

“Can’t be as bad as Rome on Sunday.” Elio shrugged and pulled out his phone. It was hard to know exactly what Oliver would like, so he just played a few crowd-pleasers from his 80’s playlist. Couldn’t go wrong with “Take On Me”, he figured.

“You know, when I heard you were going to music school, I thought your taste was going to be a bit more pretentious,” Oliver joked as he eased out into the Boston traffic.

“Oh, it is, trust me. I just also like Pop music, the stuff that’s really passed the test of time. Cause it’s stuff that everybody likes.” Elio shrugged. “Besides, if I played some obscure artsy indie band, would you have really appreciated the complexities of the chord structure?”

Oliver smiled to himself. “My pretty boy likes his 80s music.” He took a hand off the steering wheel and pet Elio’s head. He’d be more concerned for their safety, but the whole road seemed mostly gridlocked. “Should I make you mixtapes like we used to back then?”

“You were born in what? ‘91? You don’t get to tell me what you used to do ‘back then’.” Elio stuck his tongue out, knowing that Oliver couldn’t see it. He just wanted the satisfaction of mocking him.

“Hey, I still made my fair share of mixtapes in high school.”

“Oh, are there any guys I have to compete with?” Elio asked, affectionately pawing at Oliver’s arm.

He chuckled. “Lucky for you, they’re all women. And married now.”

That shouldn’t have made him nervous. Elio himself was bisexual and had been with women before, but it seemed like _everyone_ Oliver mentioned being with was a girl. And there was nothing wrong with that on its own, but it still sent him into an internal panic. Was Elio his first guy? What if he managed to fuck up so badly that Oliver just decided guys were a lost cause?

No, no, that wasn’t what was happening. Oliver seemed like a nice guy, and seemed very into him. Elio wasn’t going to mess this up.

Probably.

“Well, that’s good. I won’t have to get into any duels to protect your honour,” he joked, hoping that it would hide his trepidation.

“Calm down there, Hamilton. No need to get trigger happy here.”

Elio chuckled. “Did you know that Alexander Hamilton was actually pretty bi?”

“Really? They didn’t mention _that_ in the musical.”

“Yeah, he and John Laurens were like, super into each other. Hamilton’s son burned all the letters from Laurens after he died, but there’s a bunch of letters he wrote where he was, like, talking about his dick like Laurens was familiar with it.” He shrugged. “I mean, maybe that’s a thing straight guys do. I don’t know. Sounds pretty gay to me.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me. They worked together for Washington for years, I’m sure they were pretty close. Or at least, that’s what happened in the musical. That’s not the period of history that I have a PhD in.”

“Well, if I ever have any questions about Aristotle, I’ll be sure to give you a shout.”

Oliver groaned. “Please don’t get me started on Aristotle, we’ll be here all day.”

Elio looked out the window. It had been a few minutes and they’d barely moved down the street. “I think we’re already gonna be here all day. How long does this usually take?”

“About twenty minutes. But most of it is sitting in traffic. When there isn’t any, I usually get home in around ten.”

“Jesus.”

“I told you it was gonna be bad.”

Elio kept quiet during most of the drive, mostly letting the music fill the small space of the car. His thoughts wandered back to Oliver as he looked over at him, watching his expression changed as traffic chugged along and 80s synth played through the speakers. He wondered what sort of husband the man had been, back when he was married. Elio couldn’t see Oliver as anything other than kind and loving, but there was no telling who he’d been before they’d met. And why he’d gotten divorced. If he and Oliver ever chose to be united like that, Elio wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let him go.

God, he was falling hard. Oliver was the only guy he’d hooked up with in college and really one of the only people he’d gotten close to in Boston. And he was already more than a little in love with him. He wished Marzia were here. She would love to hear about this, how he’d somehow managed to get himself involved with a divorcé who taught at a neighbouring college. She’d laugh at him and warn him if he was getting in too deep. She was his best friend for a reason, after all.

He made a mental note to text her later and see if they could set up a Facetime call. He’d been so stressed these last few days that he had hardly noticed how much he missed her.

“What are you thinking about, Elio?” Oliver asked, his voice cutting into Elio’s thoughts.

“Home, mostly. My best friend back in Italy.”

“Have you been doing okay? The first semester’s already hard enough, and you came from a whole different country.”

Elio suddenly felt his chest tighten. He’d missed being home. And now he wasn’t going to see Italy again until the summer.

He took a breath. No, this was a good choice. He’d just… he’d learn to love Boston. Somehow.

“Hey, why do you like it here so much?”

Oliver made a face. “Excuse me?”

“Boston. Why do like it? I mean, you root for their sports teams and everything. And now you live here. Why?”

“God, I never thought about that. I’ve just sort of… always been here. It made sense to move back.” He paused. “I mean, it’s a lovely city, the traffic and the jaywalkers and the horrible sports fans aside. It’s just kind of got its own culture and its points of pride. I don’t know, I went to grad school at Columbia and it just wasn’t… it wasn’t the same. I missed the tall buildings and the local bands and the museums. I used to live way out in the suburbs and my friends and I would hop on the commuter rail and spend the day out here, shopping and going to concerts and causing mayhem… It’s a weird sort of city. It just kind of seeps into your bones after a while.” He chuckled. “Sorry. That… got really sentimental.”

“So you like it because you grew up here?” Elio asked.

“No, it’s more than that. I think you can fall in love with it too.” He paused again, stopping to think. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll show you everything I love about this place over break.”

“Everything?” Elio raised an eyebrow. “With everything you were talking about, we’d need more than just a few weeks.”

“I’ll make a list and we’ll fit in everything we can.”

“I’d like that. Thank you.” He leaned over and gave Oliver a kiss on the cheek.

It wasn’t long before Oliver finally pulled into a parking spot on the side of the street. He got out and opened the passenger door for Elio.

He unplugged his phone and slipped it into his pocket before joining Oliver on the sidewalk, reaching over to hold his hand. “So, where were you thinking of getting take out?”

“There’s a place on the other side of town that I like. They do, like, vegetarian and vegan stuff too, I think. If you’re into that sort of thing.”

“I am actually. I stopped eating meat about a year ago.” He had to bite his tongue to resist the urge to turn that into a dirty joke. Considering how Oliver had reacted to the ass-eating comment and his clear discomfort with how quickly their relationship was progressing, he figured it wouldn’t be the best choice. “I’d kill for some stir fry, though.”

“Stir fry, noodles, I’ll see if they have vegetarian dumplings or something. I think I have the menu at home, so we can figure out what we want.”

Elio tightened his grip on Oliver’s hand. “I’d like that. Thank you.”

They’d walked together in comfortable silence for the next few minutes, hands still joined, until Oliver approached the front stoop of his building. He’d let go of Elio for just long enough to unlock the door and let him inside, then guided him to his apartment.

“You know, I never really got to appreciate what a nice place you have. I was a little distracted last time I was here,” Elio joked, taking a quick lap around to survey the area.

It was similarly lived in, just like last time, but it seemed Oliver had tidied up some. Most of the books were on a shelf, the dishes had been cleaned, the counters were mostly clear of clutter (though there was the ocasional pile of papers that it seemed Oliver had no idea what to do with).

“Huh, you cleaned up for me. What a gentleman you are.” Elio flashed him a smile, then sat down on the couch in front of the TV. He watched as Oliver flipped through one of the stacks of papers, trying to look for a menu for the takeout place.

“It’s sweet that you noticed, but now that I’ve moved everything around, I have no idea where the Hell that menu ended up.”

“If you remember what it’s called, you could probably look it up online. Most places like that have their menus online nowadays. Cause they know people lose them,” Elio suggested.

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll find it, and I don’t think we’re in any rush. Just make yourself comfortable and see if you can find anything you want to watch.” He looked over at Elio from behind the kitchen counter. “If you just turn the TV on, the Roku should be queued up. You use the black remote with purple buttons.”

Elio picked up both remotes that were lying on the table and used one to turn on the tv and the other to navigate Netflix. As he was browsing, Oliver made his way over with a folded-up piece of paper and sat beside him. “I see you figured out the TV situation on your own.”

“I was in the National Honours Society, I think I can work a TV.”  He leaned over and read the paper over Oliver’s shoulder. “Is that the menu?”

“Yeah. I found it. You wanna take a look?”

“No, I’m going to sit here awkwardly and guess what they have.” He leaned over and made a grab for the menu, which Oliver held just out of his reach.

“I think that sounds like a perfectly reasonable course of action.”

Elio groaned. “Alright, you asked for it!” He straddled Oliver on the sofa and snatched the menu from his hand. He remained seated on Oliver’s lap and made a show of opening the menu and reading his options. As he did so, he felt Oliver’s hands rest at his waist.

“You know, you’re not making this whole ‘taking things slow’ thing easy.”

Elio met Oliver’s eyes and smirked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just trying to get the menu you’re so cruelly keeping from me.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t you just sit back down?”

He leaned forward and brought his lips to Oliver’s, kissing him fiercely in lieu of an answer. Oliver’s hands slipped beneath his shirt, stoking up and down his back. Having the man’s strong hands on him again made all the blood in his body rush downward.

Elio drew back, panting, knowing if they kept going, it would probably go somewhere Oliver was uncomfortable with very quickly. Maybe it already had. “Was that okay?”

Oliver laid a hand on Elio’s face. “More than okay. But we should really order dinner.”

Elio smirked. “Alright. But after that, I’d like to kiss you again.”

“Duly noted. What do you want?”

“Veggie lo mein and fried rice?”

“Alright, I’ll call.” Oliver pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled the number.

Elio sat back on the couch, watching him wait intently for someone to pick up. He looked over at Oliver, sitting so casually on the couch, the top three buttons of his shirt undone, lips still swollen from their kiss. He was gorgeous, so gorgeous, and it was like he didn’t even know it. Elio surreptitiously put his feet in Oliver’s lap. The man put his hand over Elio’s feet, stroking the top of one of them with this thumb. When the call finally connected and Oliver started reciting their order, Elio shifted one of his feet to press against Oliver’s half-hard cock through his pants. It twitched at the attention, and Elio smirked.

Oliver met Elio’s gaze and ground against his foot, exhaling harshly through his nose. By the time he hung up, Oliver was fully hard.

He picked up Elio’s foot and kissed the ball of it. “You’re making this very hard.”

“It’s not the only thing I’m making hard, clearly.”

Oliver leaned over and kissed his cheek. He should’ve found it charming, but mainly, it annoyed him. Why was he so hesitant about going further? It wasn’t like they hadn’t slept together before!

Elio crossed his arms and sighed. “Yanno, I don’t get you.”

Oliver cocked his head. “What’s not to get?”

“You let me tease you, but you don’t want me to go any further. I don’t understand.” Elio pulled his knees to his chest, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. “Is it just, like…. Are you not in the mood or something?” He hoped that was the case. The alternative, that perhaps he had been doing these things to Oliver against his wishes, was a scary thought.

“Kind of.” He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I’m just… you know… it’s weird.”

“What’s weird?”

Oliver took a breath. “Elio, you’re old enough to be one of my students. I just want to make sure that this isn’t… I don’t know… that I’m not hurting you or anything. Or making you do anything you don’t want.”

Elio leaned his head onto Oliver’s chest. “You’re not. I wanted you that night we met in the bar, before I even knew you were a professor. And I still want you. Really, I do.” He leaned in and kissed the side of his neck. “I wouldn’t be doing half this shit if I didn’t want to. I like you because you’re Oliver, not because you’re… old or something like that. You don’t have any power over me, you’re not my professor. I’d hate for you to feel guilty about this.”

Oliver threw his head back and groaned. “That’s the thing, I feel guilty about _everything_. Every time I look at you, I’m reminded of how fucking young you are and I feel like I’m stripping that innocence away from you.”

Elio looked at him, a feeling of pity blossoming in his chest. “Oliver.” He kissed the man’s cheek. “Oliver, you’re not taking anything away from me. You weren’t even my first guy. Please don’t thank like that.” He put his arms around Oliver’s neck. “Please don’t. You’ve been so good to me and you’ve given me so much.”

Oliver wrapped his arms around Elio and pulled him close. “God, you have no idea how much I needed to hear that.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Elio’s head.

“I’m glad I could help. But really, if you ever feel like that again, you _have_ to check in with me. I promise I’ll only tell you the truth, alright?”

“Alright.”

They held each other like that for what felt like half an hour, the movie Elio had selected on Netflix left forgotten as the TV dimmed. It was just nice, being so close to Oliver’s big, warm body and being held by his strong arms. He’d moved only to crane his neck and give Oliver a few kisses below his chin.

“We don’t have to sleep together tonight, not if you don’t want to,” Elio admitted. “This is really enough for me.”

“Just this?” Oliver asked, shifting his arm and attempting to bring Elio impossibly closer to him.

“Just this. Sitting together. Cuddling. It’s nice.” He gave Oliver another kiss. “You’re nice.”

Oliver buried his hand in the boy’s hair, giving him a few kisses before the doorbell rang. “I think that’s the food. I’ll go pick it up.” He shifted his weight, only causing Elio to hold on tighter. “Come on, Elio don’t you want to eat?”

Elio pulled back and pouted, making a show of how disappointed he was. “You were doing a good job keeping me warm.”

“And I’ll go back to doing it, just let me get food.” He got up and made his way to the door.

“Alright, alright.” Elio laid down across the couch. “I’m stealing your seat, though.”

Oliver laughed. “Keep it warm for me.” He disappeared through the front door of the apartment.

Elio quickly got up and turned the Roku back on.

Oliver came back with a paper bag full of food. He opened up each carton, and then passed two of them to Elio with a pair of chopsticks. “Here you go. Those look like yours.”

“Thanks.” He popped open the first carton, which looked like the noodles. “I know we were gonna watch a movie. How do you feel about Mulan?”

“If you feel me up while we watch a Disney movie, I think you’ll ruin my childhood forever.”

Elio winked. “Maybe that’s my plan. Maybe I want you to be completely unable to think of anything but my hands on you whenever you get nostalgic.” He jokingly made a reach for Oliver, who grabbed him by the wrist.

“If you can’t keep your hands off me during a two-hour movie, how the Hell are you supposed to keep them off me when we’re in public together?”

Elio moved closer to him. “Maybe I won’t. Maybe I want everyone to see that I have such a hot date.”

Oliver laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Don’t be coy, it won’t be _you_ they’re jealous of. They’ll all wonder how the Hell this old man got such a cute boy on his arm.”

Elio gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Maybe they won’t be able to figure out who to be jealous of.”

Oliver chuckled and grabbed the remote. “Mulan is fine, I haven’t seen it in years.”

They sat on the couch, just letting the movie play as they ate their food, Elio resting his head on Oliver’s shoulder for support. He shifted his position, pressing his back against Oliver’s shoulder as he tried to eat his noodles with chopsticks.

As he was gazing aimlessly over at Oliver’s side table, he noticed a thick paperback, clearly well-loved and dog-eared. Elio put his food down on the table and inspected it, flipping through it to see all the sections Oliver had clearly underlined and written notes in the margins.

“Huh, I didn’t know you had one of my father’s books.”

Oliver paused mid-bite, staring at Elio with wide, blue eyes. “Wait, what did you just say?”

Elio held the book up. “My father wrote this.” He flipped through it, scanning the pages. “It’s an older copy, but it’s definitely his biography of Hadrian.”

“...your father is Samuel Perlman?”

“Yeah, it’s kinda cool. I’ve been at more archaeological sites than I can count since since I was old enough to walk.” Elio shrugged. “He’s a cool dad. The more I hear about other people’s parents, the more I realise just how lucky I am to have him. And my mom. They’ve been really good about the whole…” He gestured to himself. “...bi thing.”

Oliver just stared, stunned. “...I fucked Samuel Perlman’s son.”

“Yeah, I thought you knew.” He flipped to the About the Author section of the book. “I mean, this copy was probably published before I was born, but it’s right in the back here after all his degrees and whatnot: ‘Samuel Perlman lives with his wife, Annella, in Northern Italy. They are expecting their first child in December of this year’. I mean, you can probably guess who that child was.”

He let out a breath, his eyes still staring vaguely, unseeingly, in Elio’s direction. It was as if he was no longer on this plane of existence. “I fucked Samuel Perlman’s son.”

Elio gently hit Oliver on the head with the paperback. “You did a pretty good job of it, if I remember correctly.”

Oliver buried his head in his hands. “He thinks I did a good job. Samuel Perlman’s son thinks I’m good in bed.”

Realising that Oliver would need a moment to recover, Elio picked his carton of noodles off the table and began eating it again, leaving the book on the coffee table.

Oliver took a breath, seeming to come back somewhat. “Sorry about that, I just… It’s not every day you learn something like that, you know?”

Elio laughed. “It’s fine. I actually think it’s kind of cute. It never occurred to me that my dad might have fanboys.”

“I’m not a fanboy, I just found it useful while I was writing my undergrad thesis, that’s all.”

Elio leaned his head against Oliver’s shoulder, helping himself to his noodles. “Really, though, I think it’s so sweet how much you love this stuff. I’ve never really been that into Roman emperors myself, but I really like seeing the things you’re passionate about.” He kissed Oliver on the cheek before adding “except American football. I don’t care how much you love that, I’m not sitting through that shit.”

Oliver laughed and gently rubbed Elio’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I can’t fucking stand football. Even as a kid I couldn’t. I was a pretty good soccer player in high school, though. Even when I had to drop down from varsity to club to focus on my academics, I was still one of the best central midfielders we had.”

He was _very_ tempted to give Oliver shit for not calling it “football” like in Europe, but he saw a golden opportunity for a quip that he just couldn’t pass up.

“Oh, you went both ways? I do too.”

“ _Elio!_ ”

He laughed and gave Oliver a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. But if you’re into football, we could see about watching the World Cup together this year.” He shrugged. “I mean, I’d hate to rush things, but if you did want to come to the villa this summer, I wouldn’t say no.”

“The world cup isn’t for six months, who knows? You might hate me by then.” It was clearly intended as a joke, but Elio had the sneaking suspicion it wasn’t entirely that.

Elio laughed, trying to diffuse things. “You? Never.”

Olive smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

 

•••

 

They’d finished the movie and their food, leaving the grease-stained cartons on the table, the chopsticks placed haphazardly beside them.

Elio had ended up in Oliver’s lap, facing him, the man’s large hand rubbing at his back. He felt almost like he was a cat, being doted on and pet and enjoying every minute of it. He really couldn’t help but let out a few wordless noises of contentment as Oliver stroked his hair, his cheek, the side of his neck.

“Like what you see?” he asked, probably a bit too flirtatious for Oliver’s tastes, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to test the waters a bit.

“God, you have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?”

Elio smirked. “I don’t know. Maybe I need you to convince me.”

Oliver hummed and ran his thumb over Elio’s lips. “How would you like me to convince you, hm?” He gently ran his hand down Elio’s face and neck, gently toying with his nipples beneath his shirt. “With my hand? Or my mouth? What would you like?”

Elio groaned. “Fuck, Oliver. Your mouth. _Please_.”

“Alright, sit back on the couch and I’ll give it to you.”

Elio flushed under his collar. “Are you sure? I know earlier you were…”

“I know, I know. I just…” He let out a breath, placing a hand on Elio’s thigh over his skinny jeans. “I like you a lot and I want to give this to you.”

Elio nodded and got off of Oliver’s lap, sitting dead centre on the couch and opening his legs. “Please do, then.”

Oliver chuckled and palmed Elio’s crotch. He wasn’t quite hard yet, but the friction was delicious. “Take your shirt off for me.”

It was more of a request than a command, but Elio was more than happy to oblige. The oversized jersey was perplexingly heavy and loose on his body and freeing himself of that was more liberating than he’d expected.

Not that he had a moment to appreciate it, of course, as Oliver’s mouth was immediately on his bare skin, first starting with loving licks and sucks to his neck and moving downward. Occasionally, he’d look up at Elio with that same reverent expression he’d had that night they’d met at the bar. It was that look in his eye that made Elio feel like he was the single most important and lovely thing in the world.

They were both so far gone. Perhaps Oliver was right to be scared of it.

Though he really didn’t have any more time to think it over. Oliver’s mouth was at his hip, licking and sucking just above the waistband of his pants.

Elio groaned, immediately putting both hands in Oliver’s hair. “Shit, Oliver.”

The man pulled back, gently rubbing his thumb over the mark he’d made. “Now whenever you take off your shirt, everyone will know I was here already.”

Elio felt himself flush. He wasn’t really planning on sleeping with anyone, and he didn’t have a roommate, but there was something incredibly arousing about having a keepsake from Oliver, even if it would only last a few days. The idea of walking around Berklee having been marked by this man in a way most people wouldn’t even know about…

It made his cock twitch.

Oliver seemed to notice his interest and gave him a Cheshire Cat grin. “Oh, you like that don’t you? Having everyone know where I’ve been?”

Elio just let out a whine, cut short as Oliver took off his pants and boxers and set his cock free.

Oliver spat in his palm and gave Elio’s cock a few quick strokes, bringing it to full hardness. He smiled at it and pressed a kiss to his inner thigh. “Damn, you really wanted this didn’t you?”

“I always want you,” Elio admitted, his mind clouded by arousal. It wasn’t something he’d ever say outside of an altered state like this, but he knew it had to be the truth. He really didn’t have the brain power to lie right now.

Oliver didn’t say anything in response, just leaned over and kissed Elio deeply, keeping his spit-slick hand on the boy’s member and giving it an occasional pump.

Elio was more than happy to kiss back, putting his hands on Oliver and gripping him anywhere he could find purchase. Oliver was just so solid beneath his fingers, it felt almost like the man was his anchor to reality, keeping him from losing himself in moments like this.

There was one moment where he felt himself wriggle a bit underneath Oliver’s attentions and moan loudly into the man’s mouth. He broke the kiss.

“If you keep that up, I’m going to cum,” he warned between laboured breaths.

He nodded and knelt down again, giving the underside of Elio’s cock a long, slow lick.

It didn’t mitigate his arousal. He heard a high-pitched noise that he realised was coming from his throat and he reached down to bury his hand Oliver’s hair.

That just seemed to egg him on. His eyes flicked up, meeting Elio’s for a brief moment before he took the head of his cock into his mouth.

“Fuck, Oliver,” he groaned, feeling his grip on the man’s hair tighten.

It was probably embarrassing how quickly he came once Oliver swallowed his whole cock, but the man didn’t seem to care. He gulped it all down like he had that night after the bar and licked his lips to catch anything his missed.

“You really like doing that, don’t you?” Elio commented in between breaths after watching Oliver’s display. He knew a lot of guys would just swallow to put on a show for their partners, but surely Oliver knew there was no need for that. They were already pretty much dating.

“You taste nice,” he responded with a shrug, as if that was enough of an explanation. He then sat beside Elio, gently running his fingers through his hair as he regained himself. “How’re you feeling?”

Elio rested his head on Oliver’s shoulder. “Good. A little tired. Orgasms kind of take a lot out of me.”

Oliver chuckled. “So I’ve noticed.” He moved his hand down to stroke Elio’s back. “It’s kind of cute, though. You just feel so good your body short circuits for a while.”

Elio laughed. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, it doesn’t help that your mouth is so nice.”

“Wow, a genuine compliment without any sass behind it? You really are out of it.”

He just groaned and buried his face in Oliver’s neck. “Fuck off.”

“Do you want to take a shower and then go to bed together? I’ll clean up here.”

Elio laughed and pressed his hand to Oliver’s hip teasingly. “Go to bed together,” he echoed.

“Not that kind of going to bed.”

Elio pouted. “But I want to make you feel good. You’re always so good to me.”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, I do, it’s just…” Oliver sighed. “It’s complicated. There’s a lot I still need to figure out, and it was easier not to worry about it when I had alcohol in my system. But I know that I like you and I know I like touching you, I’m just not sure how to feel about the other way around yet.”

Elio nodded and pressed a kiss to Oliver’s neck. “I like the other way around just fine, if that makes you any less confused.”

Oliver smiled. “It helps. Thank you. I just need you to be patient with me, there’s a reason I’m seeing a therapist every week.”

“I can do that.” Patience was such a small thing to ask, and there was a small voice inside his head that knew he’d do plenty more than that for Oliver. The thought shouldn’t have scared him, but it really did. He was under the impression that all those big emotions from that first meeting had mostly subsided, but it was clear to him that they didn’t. He was falling for Oliver at such a rapid pace that he had the sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t fully aware of what he was getting himself into.

But Oliver pressed a kiss to the crown of head head and it melted away any trepidation Elio had about this man. He seemed safe, he seemed sweet, he seemed to care about his wellbeing. Getting involved with him hardly seemed like a bad thing.

Elio took a deep breath, pulled himself away from Oliver and stretched, suddenly very aware that his pants were riding low on his hips. He shucked them off, tossing them in the professor’s direction. No need in putting on more clothes when he was going to be showering anyway. And maybe it was a bit for Oliver’s benefit. A bit.

“Thanks for offering to clean up. I’ll see you soon.” He leaned in, gave Oliver a peck on the cheek, and make his way to the bathroom.

He showered with Oliver’s soap again, making a mental note to bring the man to a Lush sometime soon. He didn’t even have conditioner, much less a proper skincare regimen. God, Oliver would be so soft and smooth with the proper care and so very handsome. Even if their relationship (or whatever it might be) didn’t last very long, at least he could teach Oliver a few things about personal care.

He towelled his hair dry, then walked into the bedroom with no towel and just the jersey draped over his arm.

Oliver was sitting on the bed looking at something on his phone. He looked up as Elio opened the door and, though he didn’t verbally comment on his nudity, his still flicked his eyes across his body. “Hey, I found something of yours.” He reached over to a pile of folded clothes on the bed next to him and held up a familiar floral-pattern shirt.

“Oh! You found it!” He threw on the jersey and sat beside Oliver. The rest of the clothes were just his boxers and jeans from earlier, which he tossed casually onto the ground. He’d pick them up and re-fold them later. “Where was it?”

“It managed to end up under my bed somehow.” He chuckled. “I suppose we were a little distracted that night, huh?”

Elio gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Keep it.”

Oliver laughed. “Why? It’d hardly fit me, you know.”

“Well I need a reason to come back here, don’t I?”

Oliver gave him a smile and they shared a quick, chaste kiss before his phone dinged and he went back to it.

“Important message?” Elio asked teasingly, laying his head on Oliver’s shoulder. He had his brightness down just low enough that Elio couldn’t quite read his messages, but it was clear he was texting.

“It’s from Ariana. I just told her about you.”

“Who’s Ariana?” He liked the name immediately. It was very Italian.

“My ex.” He chuckled. “She, uh, just called me a cradle robber. I told her you were a freshman.”

Elio set his jaw. He wouldn’t deny that there was a small bit of jealousy at the pit of his stomach at the thought of Oliver texting his ex-wife while they were in bed together.

But he’d won, hadn’t he? He was the one Oliver was touching, the one he’d invited into his home and kissed and slept with. Elio had never even seen the woman.

Seeming to pick up on this, Oliver laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I think you’d like her, actually. Her family is from Italy, and we’ve known each other since we were in kindergarten.”

Well that certainly put things into perspective. It wasn’t that Oliver was still interested in Ariana romantically, he was texting her because they were childhood friends. That made sense. Or at least, that was what he told himself. He _had_ to trust Oliver. He _had_ to.

“Why did you decide to get married?”

Oliver shrugged. “We both did our undergrads at BU together after being friends throughout high school. I don’t know, she was everything I should have wanted in a woman: kind, beautiful, wittier than I am. I don’t think I ever really loved her, but I kind of… convinced myself that I did, I guess. We dated after graduation while I looked around for masters programmes, and she even moved out to New York with me when I got accepted to Columbia.”

“What did she do?” Elio asked. He figured the more he learned about Ariana, the less intimidated he could be by her.

“She’s a therapist. That’s… actually kind of the reason we got divorced.” He smiled sheepishly. “I uh… some stuff happened after the wedding and she recommended me to one of her colleagues. I came out to her three years later after coming to terms with things, and she told me she didn’t want me to make myself miserable for her sake, so we started the process of getting a divorce later that week. Then I got the job in Boston and we officially separated. I actually got the email about the divorce being finalised the same day I met you in that bar.”

“Oh.” Elio needed a moment to take everything in. Then, “It sounds like she cares about you a lot.”

“She does.” He leaned over and kissed Elio’s cheek. “Really, though, we’re just good friends now. I’m very uh… I’m very not interested in women.”

Elio could almost feel the weight behind those words. It sounded like something he was still coming to terms with. He reached over and rubbed Oliver’s back. “It’s alright. You don’t have to be.” He laughed and gave him a wink. “In fact, I’d prefer you weren’t. Then I’d have less competition.”

Oliver laughed and ruffled his hair. It seemed like lighthearted teasing, but Elio could tell there was something more behind it. “Honestly, we should probably turn in. It’s getting pretty late.”

Elio nodded and put his phone on the bedside table. Oliver did the same, flicked off the light, and put his arms around Elio beneath the covers.

“Good night,” Oliver muttered, his mouth hovering so close to Elio’s ear he could almost feel his breath.

Elio echoed the words back and shifted closer to Oliver, enjoying his warm body and his firm arms. This was certainly something he could get used to.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a [tumblr](https://binary-suunset.tumblr.com/) where you can yell at me.
> 
> I also do [commissions](https://binary-suunset.tumblr.com/post/160970900544/hey-everyone-now-that-i-am-officially-no-longer).


End file.
